This fund, established
in memory of A. C. Irvine
of Merton College, who lost his life during the
1924 Everest Expedition, is administered
by a Committee of Trustees
under the authority
of the Charity Commissioners.

Grants are made to assist junior
members of the University to take holidays in the
mountains either in Britain or abroad. Activities such as
the following come within the scope of the Fund:
mountaineering, exploration, hill walking and caving.
Cycling and Orienteering holidays are not usually judged
by the Trustees to be within the spirit of the Trust Deed,
nor are commercial treks on recognised trekking routes.

Candidates are asked to complete an application form and
to attach as detailed a plan of the proposed holiday as
possible, together with an estimate of the
cost. The plans should be concise,
well-prepared and well-thought-out. Applicants
are advised to check maps, guidebooks and other sources
before submitting applications. It may be
useful to consult the Oxford Mountaineering Library, http://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/content.php?pid=180417&sid=1828796 in
the Radcliffe Science Library and there are maps in the
Bodleian Library. Each candidate must arrange
for a recommendation from his/her tutor or senior member
of his/her College to be sent to the Secretary of the
Fund. Applications will not be considered from
expeditions or individuals whose serious aims would
justify applications for the support of scientific or
archaeological research. The Trustees may make
small grants towards the cost of experiments in the
techniques of mountaineering or exploration.
Candidates who wish to take holidays together may make a
joint application, but each candidate must fill in an
application form and must obtain a recommendation as
stated above. The decision to make a grant, and the
amount awarded, will depend significantly on the type of
holiday in the mountains, the quality of the written
application, the case made for a grant, and on the overall
cost. All applicants must plan to be available
for interview on Saturday of 6th week of Trinity Term to
present their holiday plans to the Trustees, although some
grants may be made without interview.
Candidates will be e-mailed the previous Thursday to let
them know whether or not they are being called for
interview, and, if so, where and at what time it will take
place. It is the responsibility of candidates to
make sure that they check their e-mail for this
information. If the date for the interview
clashes with a University Examination, this should be
mentioned on the application, and the Trustees may
allocate an alternative time. Successful
candidates must send a short report of their holiday to
the Honorary Secretary before 1st November in the Michaelmas Term following the
holiday. The Jeremy Naish prize will be awarded to
the author(s) of the best report submitted, and the 2006
and 2007
prize-winning reports are available online.

The Trustees will not make a grant to any candidate whom
they consider is planning an expedition which is beyond
his/her competence. However, the planning and execution of
any expedition and the avoidance of hazards on the
expedition are the sole responsibility of the candidate
and grants are only made on this condition.

Printable versions of the Application
form and Associated
details for this year's application are available.Completed forms should be sent
to Dr T. Povey, Secretary of the Irvine Travel Fund,
University College, High Street, Oxford OX1
4BH. The deadline for the receipt of
applications is 3.00p.m. on Thursday of 4th week of
Trinity Term. It is recommended that
candidates keep a copy of these details for future
reference.